The History of Anesidora

Gaul by Siba Gasser

The history of humanity on Anesidora stretches back millennia and can be divided into 5 distinct periods: The First Age, Ragnarok, The Second Age, Fimbulwinter, and The Third Age.

The First Age

The first travelers to cross the firmament and arrive on Anesidora were the Titans, massive terraforming robots. They were tasked with transforming Anesidora from a chaotic planet of flowing lava seas, devoid of life, to a suitable home for humanity. Due to the eventual corruption of the Titans and lack of records, little is known about this period of history, but when humans arrived the planet had been transformed into one of solid land masses and oceans, teeming with all manner of plant and animal life, so the work of the Titans succeeded to a degree.

Ragnarok

Long after the arrival of the Titans, humanity arrived in a fleet of Godcity ships. These Ancients, as they came to be known, found that although the planet had been terraformed, many of the preparations needed to survive were not in place and the planet was in the midst of a long winter that ended up lasting more than a century. A calamitous event known as The Fall occurred, causing the Godcities to crash down to the surface below with their Hearts dead. The Ancients did the best they could to survive on the harsh planet, but eventually they had to abandon the crashed Godcities and flee into the wilderness.

The Second Age

After the long winter of Ragnarok, Anesidora returned to a more regular cycle of seasons. The descendants of the Ancients spread across the newly thawed landscape, building new societies without the aid of magic.

Well after the dawn of the Second Age, the first Ascended appeared. Ascended look like Unliving, massive and terrifying mechanical beings. But, unlike the Unliving, the Ascended did not attack the people they encountered. Instead, the Ascended reignited the Hearts of the Godcities and taught the people how to use some of the magics of the Ancients. In the years following the arrival of the Ascended, magic was employed in many aspects of society, especially war, as those who were lucky enough to acquire the magic of the Ancients employed it to conquer their neighbors.

Fimbulwinter

Perhaps the most defining historical event in the history of Anesidora was Fimbulwinter. Without warning, one year winter simply did not end, and the entire planet fell into an extended period of intensive cold that lasted generations. The only safe place to survive Fimbulwinter was within the Godcities, whose Hearts could supply warmth and help grow food. Unfortunately, the population far exceeded the capacity of the Godcities, so only some were lucky enough to live through Fimbulwinter within their walls. These people and their descendants are known as the Chosen, and the descendants of those who were not allowed into the Godcities and had to survive in the wilderness are known as the Exiled. Even though the winter ended, this schism between the Chosen and the Exiled exists to this day.

The Third Age

The modern period of Anesidora is known as the Third Age, which began as the Fimbulwinter finally ended. At the start of the Third Age, the Chosen attempted to claim the lands near their Godcities, expecting that the Exiled had all died during the Fimbulwinter. Instead, they found that the Exiled had not only survived, but grown strong. The ensuing wars were met with mixed results, as the magic of the Chosen made them powerful, but the further they strayed from the Godcities, the harder it was to use this magic, and the more the Exiled’s knowledge of the land gave them the edge.

Today, warfare between the Exiled and Chosen is largely a thing of the past, as the societies have slowly learned to coexist. There is still distrust and a class divide between the groups throughout much of Anesidora, so it does not take much of a spark to reignite the powder keg into full scale conflict.

Next week we will explore some of the major regions of Anesidora.